


Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: A Retelling

by skyesparklez



Series: Harry Potter: A Retelling [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abused Harry Potter, Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Alternate Canon, Childhood Trauma, Dark Albus Dumbledore, Diagon Alley, Draco Malfoy Redemption, Enemies to Friends, Fix-It of Sorts, Good Draco Malfoy, Good Slytherins, Harry is a Good Friend, Harry is a Polite Bean, Headaches & Migraines, Hogwarts House Sorting Ceremony, Light Angst, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Nightmares, Pansy is a Bully, Past Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Remus Lupin, Remus Lupin Needs a Hug, Remus Lupin Raises Harry Potter, Severus Snape Bashing, Slytherin Harry Potter, Smart Harry, The Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter) is Terrible, Wizards Have a Different Culture, Yule, snape is a bad teacher
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:02:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27336862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyesparklez/pseuds/skyesparklez
Summary: What if Remus had looked for Harry after the Potters were murdered, and how would that change his life? A story in which Remus Lupin finds out that Harry has been living with the Dursleys and takes him away when he's six years old. Harry grows up with a loving person in the household, and goes to Hogwarts with a little more confidence.This is me being tired of J.K. Rowling's problematic statement and rewriting the Harry Potter series with more realistic depictions of childhood trauma, mental health, and diversity within the world we all love so much.
Series: Harry Potter: A Retelling [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996066
Comments: 20
Kudos: 96





	1. Chapter 1

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of Number Four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense. Of course, no perfectly normal life can stay perfectly normal for very long.

Mrs. Petunia Dursley had a sister named Lily. Now, Lily was quite peculiar. This is not to say she spent her time partying and having extravagant adventures, as one might believe. No, she looked and acted perfectly normal. She was peculiar because she was a witch. She had attended the magic school of Hogwarts, married a wizard named James Potter, and had started a peculiar family with her peculiar wizard son, Harry.

Now, none of these things made Lily truly strange, as the Dursleys believed. Lily and James Potter were truly kind individuals, and their deaths were as tragic as one such death could be. They were attacked by the evil wizard Voldemort, who wanted Harry dead. Though no one knew what happened at the Potter residence on Halloween night of 1981, the Wizarding World could celebrate the unusual defeat of the dark wizard Voldemort. Harry, fortunately, had survived the cruel attack. There were many people who would have loved to take care of Harry, which made Albus Dumbledore’s choice to place young Harry with the Dursleys a truly peculiar choice.

———————————————————————————————————————

Dumbledore stood at the corner of Privet Drive, holding the small child close to his chest. Though there were no lamp posts lit, his long midnight blue robes were clearly visible in the darkness. His beard, which happened to be tucked into his belt, shone silver in the light of the moon. His eyes were kind, but if one looked carefully, they could see the calm of a man who had a plan for every scenario. Dumbledore approached Number Four of Privet Drive and glanced around his surroundings. The houses were silent, and there wasn’t another living thing wandering the street at this late hour. He placed the baby down on the doorstep and tucked a letter into the blanket swaddling him. He knocked on the door before quickly disappearing into the night. There were many people who might’ve taken care of Harry, but Dumbledore had a plan that started with Harry growing up with the perfectly normal Dursley family.

\---——————————————————————————————————————

Remus Lupin was experiencing the worst night of his life.

As a werewolf, Remus had experienced many painful nights. He could recall with great detail the feeling of every bone in his body snapping and reforming into a giant, monstrous creature. Those nights were painful, but nothing compared to the loss of his best friends.

The news that James and Lily Potter, two of his best friends, had been murdered reached Remus early the next morning after he woke up. An owl had delivered the morning paper, with the bold headline saying Harry Potter had somehow defeated the powerful wizard Voldemort. Just below that had been their deaths written in small print, as if an afterthought. The Wizarding World was celebrating the defeat of Voldemort, but all Remus could feel was a terrifying, sinking numbness in his chest.

Remus worried for Harry, and what would happen to him now. He knew that if anything were to happen to the Potters, he was supposed to go to Sirius, but Sirius had betrayed them all. Remus still couldn’t believe it, nor could he bring himself to even think on the subject too much. Sirius Black had also been one of his closest friends, and he could never imagine Sirius killing his best friend. There weren’t many people Remus could name that Lily and James would trust with their son, and no one knew where Harry was after Dumbledore had whisked the child away.

Remus wallowed in his sadness for weeks after their deaths. He stopped reading the newspaper when he saw that Sirius had been arrested after brutally murdering the only friend Remus had left, Peter Pettigrew, along with twelve muggles. It felt as though his whole life had crumbled around him, and he had nothing left. 

It took him longer than he would like to admit to think about seeing Harry. His honorary nephew hadn’t left his mind since Remus had read that awful headline. He had worried and worried about the boy, but he hadn’t acted on it. He trusted Dumbledore to do the right thing. A small part of him was upset that Harry hadn’t been brought to him, but he could also understand the danger of a baby staying with a werewolf and respected Dumbledore’s choice. Remus still wanted to see him, however, and decided it was time to visit Dumbledore.

Remus sent a letter to Dumbledore, asking if he could meet with him. He received a letter back in two days, agreeing for them to speak at Hogwarts. It hadn’t been long since Remus himself had graduated from Hogwarts, which made the return intense. He had apparated to the castle, trepidation filling his bones. The trek to Dumbledore’s office was familiar, but his mind was bombarded with memories of him, James, Sirius, and Peter in the halls. Every turn brought a new, painful memory forward for Remus to relive. He reached Dumbledore’s office with no idea how he had gotten there. He ignored the soft crack in his voice as he gave the password to the statue to allow him into the office.

“Hello Remus, I’m glad to hear from you during this difficult time.” Remus could feel the tension drain out of his body as his attention snapped to Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. He cleared out his throat and stepped into the office.

“Thank you for having me,” he responded. “I’ve been… struggling.” Dumbledore nodded sagely.

“It’s understandable to be shaken. I’ll admit that I’m not quite myself yet either.” He gestured for Remus to take a seat, which he did. There was silence for a moment as Remus fiddled with his hands. His eyes were glued to the worn wood of Dumbledore’s desk, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was once again a schoolboy getting in trouble for a prank he pulled.

“Professor Dumbledore, I was wondering if,” Remus felt his breath stutter as he finally looked Dumbledore in the eye. “I was wondering if I could see Harry? I just want to see him, to know that he’s safe. I can’t stop worrying about him and it would be a huge relief for me, I think.” Dumbledore’s eyes were shining with sorrow as he looked at Remus over the rim of his half moon glasses.

“I wish I could give you that reassurance, but it would be jeopardizing Harry’s safety for anyone else to know where he is. Voldemort may have been defeated that night, but he is certainly not dead.”

Remus’ head felt empty. Voldemort wasn’t dead? Shivers wracked his body as his mind tried to grasp the idea that Voldemort had somehow survived, and could live to fight another day. Colors seemed to swirl and his ears felt stuffed with cotton as he gripped the arms of the chair so tightly that his hands were white. James and Lily were dead, and Harry was still in danger.

“I understand,” Remus said, his voice thick with emotion. He couldn’t bear to look at Dumbledore, but Remus was sure he was getting a pitying look. He barely recognized that Dumbledore was trying to speak to him as he left the office. A part of him screamed that he should go back and demand for Harry’s location, but a larger part of him could only think about keeping his only family left safe. Keep him safe, his mind whispered. Remus chose to focus on that, noticing neither his departure of the castle or his return home. He just had to keep Harry safe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus meets Harry, contemplates kidnapping, and actually follows through on that.

Five years passed before Remus found the bravery to look for Harry. He had waited anxiously, looking for any sign that Voldemort was returning. He kept telling himself that Dumbledore was right, and that if he went to see Harry that something terrible could happen. Remus had been convinced for a while, worried that his nephew and only remaining family would be hurt or killed should Remus attempt to visit him.

Though it took Remus a long five years, he began to see the flaw in that logic. He begun to accept that visiting Harry wouldn’t hurt him, and that Voldemort had well and truly disappeared. It was suspicious to him that he couldn’t see his own nephew, and Remus began to question what he had been told. 

He wrote to Dumbledore many times over, asking when he could see Harry. The answers he received were always vague and unsatisfying for Remus. He sent letters to every family he could possibly think of that Dumbledore might trust to watch over Harry; the Weasleys, the Woods, and even Severus Snape. He didn’t receive any positive information from them, and quickly found himself at a dead end. Remus couldn’t think of anyone else, and felt lost. He wasn’t going to give up though, not until he could see for himself that Harry was safe.

Searching tirelessly for Harry had worn down Remus in ways he wasn’t expecting. He felt mentally exhausted, though far more fulfilled than he did when he was passive about everything going on. Either way, Remus decided he needed to take a break. 

Remus had moved into a small house in a muggle part of London, having finally saved up enough from working odd jobs in both the Wizarding and muggle world to pay for it. He spent most of his time writing or working, and he was finally separated enough from others that he didn’t have to worry about his transformation affecting anyone. His house was close to a zoo, and Remus honestly enjoyed the idea of going there. He hadn’t had much time to himself, and he always enjoyed seeing the different animals when he was a kid. There was also an underlying feeling that he should go, but Remus chalked it up to going a little stir crazy in his home.

The zoo was just as he expected. It was early in the morning, and many of the children hadn’t arrived yet. There were some youngsters running around, but they were subdued and content to spend time with their parents. He walked through the different areas of the zoo, visiting all manners of animal. A tension seemed to build in his chest, and Remus was beginning to feel anxious. He couldn’t place where the feeling was coming from. 

Nothing looked out of place until he reached the reptile house. Most everything seemed normal except for a small boy, no older than five or six, standing by himself looking at a boa constrictor. Remus scanned the area, looking for any nearby parents, but there wasn’t anyone else in the vicinity. Remus walked slowly up to the child, wanting to at least check on him and help him if he were lost. 

“You alright there?” Remus asked as he reached the boy and leaned casually on the bar in front of the glass casually. The boy didn’t outwardly startle, but tensed momentarily at the foreign voice.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” came his response.

Remus took in the child’s appearance. He looked awfully thin, and his clothes were quite obviously a few sizes too big. His shoes were overly worn. He had a flannel button up that covered his hands, even though they were already pulled back a bit. His hair was an unkempt mop of black, which looked as though it had never been properly cut. The boy was also leaning against the bar, but his eyes were focused on the snake in front of him. Remus had the feeling that even though it looked like he wasn’t paying attention, this little boy was noticing every detail around him. 

“Where are your parents?” He prompted. The little boy shrugged.

“They’re dead sir, I live with my aunt and uncle.” Remus balked a little at that. 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” The little boy shook his head and looked upwards. “Where are your aunt and uncle, then?”

“Oh, they’re taking Dudley around to look at the lions. He’s my cousin. Dudley didn’t want me to come, so they told me to go somewhere else and find them later.” His reply was casual, but Remus was shocked. He couldn’t think of many families that would just abandon a child this young at a zoo!

“How old are you?” 

“Oh, I’m five sir. I’ll be six in July.” The little boy finally turned to face him, and Remus was met with the most piercing green eyes. The unsettling feeling was returning with a vengeance.

“Can you tell me about your aunt and uncle?” The little boy scrunched his nose, thinking for a bit, before turning back to the boa constrictor and answering his question.

“I don’t like them very much. My Aunt Petunia chopped off my hair yesterday because she thought it was ugly, but it grew back. They like to lock me in the cupboard at night. I like the dark, but the spiders scare me. She tries to make me wear Dudley’s old clothes too, but they always end up shrinking way too small if I don’t like them. She also hits me with her frying pan sometimes.”

“Why does she hit you with her frying pan?” Remus tried to keep the shock and anger out of his voice, but he had a feeling that it wasn’t working. His hands were shaking, and his body had turned to face Harry completely. There was something nagging at him, in the back of his mind.

“Well, she hit me last time because I was on the school roof. I don’t know how I got there though, I closed my eyes and jumped and then I was on the roof.” Remus nodded slowly. If he didn’t know better, he would have said that the little boy was showing some intense accidental magic. A shrill voice was heard from a distance, calling out and startling the little boy up.

“That’s my aunt, I’ve got to go now sir.” Remus stood straight quickly, worried for this child and his home.

“Wait, what’s your name?” The boy faced him once again.

“I’m Harry, sir. Harry Potter.” 

Remus watched as the little boy ran off to join his family, his mouth hanging open in astonishment. It was too much of a coincidence to run into a little boy named Harry Potter, who just so happened to be the same age as his nephew and born in the same month. He looked ridiculously like James, and his eyes reminded Remus of Lily. If he thought back on it as well, he remembered Lily talking about her muggle sister. She had talked to him many nights about how she wished her sister, Petunia, could just accept her for who she was. 

Once he had processed this new realization, Remus was livid. Even with the short conversation he had with Harry, Remus could tell that he didn’t live in a safe environment for children. He also knew that Petunia had loathed magic. She had actively turned her sister away many times, and Lily being a witch was a point of contention between the two. He couldn’t believe that she might stoop so low as to abuse her own nephew because of it, though.

Knowing who he was looking for made it much easier to find Harry. Finding the address for the Dursleys was ridiculously easy, seeing as Vernon owned a popular drill company. He didn’t alert Dumbledore to any of this, since hearing Harry talk about his life made Remus seriously question Dumbledore’s judgement. Why would he put him in a house where the people living there hated the very idea of magic?

Next, Remus decided to visit the house. He made sure to be discreet, but to watch and see how Harry might be treated. Even from where he could see on the outside, it didn’t look good. Each day Remus was filled with righteous anger for this child, his nephew, in a situation no one should ever experience. They often made him do gardening work, even though he was only five years old. He would be weeding the garden for hours, only going inside for a small lunch before returning. There was no way this could be a considered a safe environment, and Remus was angry enough to do something. 

It was late July, not quite Harry’s birthday, but very close. Remus had noticed that Harry was allowed to wander the neighborhood on Saturdays, since his cousin would have his friends over to play. They liked to chase Harry often, and Harry would usually escape and head to a nearby park just far enough from the house that the others wouldn’t bother him. Today was one of those days. Remus was ready to take Harry away from this environment, no matter the cost. Harry was already at the park when Remus arrived, sitting on a swing near the back of the park.

“Hello Harry,” Remus greeted, waving at the boy. Harry looked surprised to see him, but waved back.

“Hello.” His voice was soft, but Remus could see the recognition in his eyes. “You’re the man from the zoo.”

“I am,” Remus replied. “My name’s Remus. I’ve been thinking a lot about you.” Harry’s eyebrows scrunched together. 

“Why?”

“Well, believe it or not, I’m actually a friend of your dad.” Remus sat on the swing next to Harry, looking straight ahead. “We went to school together, along with your mother.” Harry’s whole demeanor changed. He sat up straight and locked his eyes on Remus, completely focused on him.

“Wait, really?” Remus nodded. “So you knew my mum and dad?”

“They were my best friends,” Remus laughed. He turned to look at Harry. “You look just like them.” Harry looked a little unsure, but kept his eyes on Remus.

“I didn’t know about you,” he said. “You never come see me. Did you want to?” Remus sighed deeply.

“I did, but I didn’t know where you were. If I did, you wouldn’t be here.” Harry looked away then. “Do you want to live with your aunt and uncle?”

“No, they’re always so mean, and Dudley and his friends chase me around and hit me.” Remus nodded.

“What if I told you that you could come live with me?” Harry visibly straightened up.

“Wait, really? Can you do that?” His eyes were pleading, and Remus could see the hope in them.

“I can. Your parents would never have wanted you here, I know that for sure.” Remus stood up from the swing and kneeled in front of Harry. “Would you want to come with me?” Harry nodded furiously, but still looked unsure.

“What about my aunt and uncle? Won’t they be mad, or get you in trouble?” Remus shook his head.

“I promise, you won’t be in trouble and neither will I. You weren’t supposed to be here anyway, so I don’t think they’ll mind too much.”

Harry didn’t need a lot of convincing to want to leave the Dursleys. Remus had held his hand out to Harry, and Harry had taken it. A quick stop to Gringotts to confirm that James and Lily had asked that Harry would not go to the Dursleys, rather to either Sirius or Remus only solidified in Remus’ mind that he had made the right decision. If Dumbledore were to be angry, there was nothing he could really do about it. Remus took Harry to a little cafe to pick up a little snack, and then took him to his home. Remus was ever grateful that he had a second bedroom, since he hadn’t planned on taking Harry home with him.

When Remus opened the door for Harry, he looked shocked that he was really there. 

“This is your house?” Remus nodded. Harry’s fingers were wrapped tightly around his, and the boy was huddled close to his leg.

“It is, and now it’s yours too. Let me show you to your room.” They walked down the hallway to the guest bedroom, but Harry seemed reluctant to go in.

“I’m not sleeping in the cupboard?” He asked as he turned to look up at Remus. There was hesitation an a little fear in Harry’s eyes which sparked anger in Remus, but he didn’t let it show.

“No, you won’t ever sleep in a cupboard again. You’ve got your own room, and tomorrow we could go get some things to decorate it with.” Tears welled up in Harry’s eyes and the boy began shaking. Worried, Remus knelt down to be face to face with him. He gently grabbed one of Harry’s forearms, hoping Harry would look him in the eye. “Hey, what’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” Harry said as he wiped some tears away with the back of his hand. “I’m just happy.” Remus nodded and stood up, brushing his legs off.

“Okay, well we should get you to bed. It’s been a weird day, and we can do all the fun and exciting things tomorrow.” 

Harry didn’t complain as Remus helped him into bed. The bed was far too large for a five year old, but Harry didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he loved the bed, judging on his expression when Remus tucked him in. Just as Remus was getting ready to leave, a small hand grabbed his.

“Mr. Remus?” Remus turned to look at his young nephew.

“You can just call me Remus, or Moony if you want. That’s what you used to call me when you were little.”

“Okay, Mr. Moony? Thank you.” Remus smiled down at Harry.

“No need to thank me, Prongslette. I’m glad you’re home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, I absolutely love writing small Harry! I also didn't think that Remus would ever just forget about Harry, nor would he just let him be without even bothering to check. I think Remus is much more protective than many of us give him credit for, so he's certainly going to be more outwardly vicious when it comes to Harry. While it might seem a bit out of character for Remus to just scoop Harry up from the park, or that Harry would go, keep in mind Remus just lost his whole support group while learning that Lily's family is abusing the only connection left to his friends and Harry is only five.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Harry's birthday, and Hagrid comes to visit!

Harry was a quiet child.

He wasn’t just quiet in the way Remus was expecting, either. Harry would tense and startle if Remus would walk up to him too quietly, and he usually wouldn’t speak if he didn’t need to, but Remus noticed that Harry seemed to take solace in the silence. Remus would often catch Harry sitting in one of the brown plush armchairs in the living room, looking too small and staring out of the window. His face always looked peaceful. 

Harry was also an easy child. That’s not to say Remus didn’t struggle, though. When Remus had taken Harry out to pick out some toys and things for his room, Harry seemed shell shocked. He had never once been allowed to pick for himself, and the only thing Remus could get out of him was that he liked soft colors like gray and blue. Harry never complained, even if Remus did something he didn’t like much. Harry would just tell him in the soft, polite voice he often took on when he was scared. Each time Harry used it on him, Remus found a small part of his heart breaking.

Weeks had flown by with Harry under his care. From what Remus could tell, Harry was a brilliant child. He seemed to notice more than most people could. Remus also noticed that Harry’s magic wasn’t very subtle. One morning, Remus had woken up to the small garden outside grown at least ten times its size, with plants covering the windows because Harry was excited. He had also caused all the glass in the kitchen to shatter when a dog had barked and scared him. Harry had cried after that, begging for Remus’ forgiveness while Remus just held onto him tightly. Remus was worried about what kinds of words Harry would pick up with how often he ended up cursing the Dursleys and Dumbledore for what Harry had to endure.

Remus noticed that Harry had nightmares, too. Almost every night he was woken up by awful screams. The first night it happened he ran to the bedroom, expecting that someone was after his nephew, wand drawn. His heart had sunk low in his chest when he saw Harry thrashing around, covers tossed over the end of his bed. Harry’s eyes were open, but unseeing. Fat tears were rolling down his face as he batted away what he would later describe as invisible spiders and ants that were trying to eat him. Remus had rushed into the room, not knowing what to do but hold and rock his nephew. He hoped Harry could find some comfort as he tucked Harry’s head under his chin. Harry soon fell asleep, but Remus kept holding him. He didn’t get any sleep that night.

This became a nightly occurrence. Remus had taken him to a muggle doctor, worried that these nightmares might be something more serious. The doctor had said that children who experienced trauma were more likely to experience intense dreams called night terrrors, and that Harry should grow out of them as long as he stayed in a safe and stable home environment. Remus was relieved that it wasn’t anything harmful to Harry, but the terror that was written on Harry’s face every night when Remus came to comfort him was something he’d never be able to forget.

With raising Harry, Remus knew that he’d need to change his habits. Remus didn’t often visit people, and rarely invited anyone to see him. He preferred to be alone, but Harry would need to interact with more people than just him. Harry was already traumatized, and Remus wanted to make sure Harry could know that there were good people in the world. He just needed to figure out who he could invite to see Harry first.

It was nearing Harry’s birthday, and Remus still hadn’t thought of anyone he trusted to see Harry at first. He trusted the Weasleys, and he knew that their son Ron was close to Harry’s age, but the Weasleys didn’t know that he was a werewolf. He didn’t quite feel safe bringing them to his home. It was his safe space, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that. Remus had considered writing a letter to McGonagall, the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts, but he felt that her stern nature would be too intense for Harry at the moment. 

Remus turned from where he was sitting in the living room and looked to Harry. He was sitting at the table in the kitchen, coloring a picture of a hippogriff. His face was scrunched slightly, his tongue stuck out from concentration. He could hear the soft scratching of the markers Remus had gotten Harry earlier that week on the paper. Remus smiled. Harry had taken to animals from the very beginning, loving the moving pictures in the book Remus was reading to him. An idea began to form, and Remus stood up to go to his study. He had a letter to write.

__________________________________________________________________________________

July 31st had arrived quickly, and for the first time Harry was excited. Mr. Moony was always nice to him, and made sure he always had food. Mr. Moony had also bought him a bunch of toys and books that he loved to look at when he thought Mr. Moony wasn’t looking. He had come up to his room earlier than usual, letting Harry know that he had invited someone over. Harry wasn’t too sure how he felt about the visitor who was supposed to come, but he trusted that Mr. Moony wouldn’t let anyone bad see him.

Harry walked down the hallway and into the kitchen, barely glancing at the bowl of batter that was being stirred by a floating wooden spoon. He always thought it was cool when things like that happened around the house. He wanted to ask Mr. Moony about it, but since he seemed to ignore the little things like dishes putting themselves away, Harry decided that it must be normal. It seemed a little unusual, and Harry decided that maybe the Dursleys had just not gotten whatever it was that made the dishes put themselves away and spoons able to stir things on their own. After all, they hated anything that wasn’t perfectly normal. Of course the Dursleys wouldn’t have a teapot that served tea on it’s own. Harry would have thought that maybe it was magic, but he knew better. Magic wasn’t real.

Remus was stood at the stove, preparing some eggs when Harry walked in.

“Good morning Harry,” he called over his shoulder. Harry had been sure he was quiet enough to not be heard, but he had accepted that Mr. Moony was different from other people. Mr. Moony was unusual.

“Good morning, Mr. Moony.” Harry hopped up into the seat farthest from the door and placed his book down on the table. He flipped it to a picture of a little golden bird that would zip around the page. Harry swore he could almost hear the faint buzz of the wings. 

“How’s it feel to be six now?” Harry could hear something in Mr. Moony’s voice, but he couldn’t quite place it. Mr. Moony had turned around and placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of Harry, so he could see in his eyes that Mr. Moony was happy. Harry closed his book gently and started eating the eggs.

“Like every day, I think. Am I supposed to feel different?” Mr. Moony chuckled at that.

“No, I don’t think most people feel any different.” Harry turned a curious eye to him.

“How old are you, Mr. Moony?” Remus grabbed a cup of tea that had been filled by said self serving teapot, taking small sips from it.

“Oh, I’m twenty-six years old.” Harry let out a little gasp.

“But that’s ancient!” Remus choked on his tea. “You aren’t going to die, are you Mr. Moony?”

“Oh no, I’m not that old,” Remus replied after composing himself. “I know some people who are over one hundred and fifty years old.” Harry looked down at his hands, silently counting his fingers and getting an awed expression on his face.

“I can’t even count that high!”

The morning had gone by easily, Harry being easily entertained with the new book on jobberknolls that Remus had gotten him for his birthday. He had gotten plenty of other things, but Harry had said he enjoyed looking at the little blue birds hop around the pages when Remus had asked. He had sat himself on the couch for about an hour, laughing and making up little stories for each bird. Remus couldn’t help but smile as he watched from the doorway. Harry hadn’t been this happy ever, and Remus didn’t want the joy in Harry’s face to ever disappear.

It was almost one o’clock when a knock was heard on the front door. Harry startled a bit, but soon relaxed. Remus was happy about that too; usually Harry would go to either his room or Remus when an unexpected noise happened. Remus turned from the doorway and walked to the entrance. A quick glance behind him told him that Harry had followed, peering cautiously around the open doorway that led to the living area. 

Remus opened the door, revealing Rubeus Hagrid on the doorstep. 

“Hullo, Remus!” Hagrid called joyfully, giving a small wave. Remus smiled and stepped aside to let Hagrid in.

“Hello, Hagrid.” Harry watched carefully as the half giant hunched over to enter the living space. Remus led Hagrid to the living room, while Harry ran to hide himself behind the bookshelf in the corner of the room. Hagrid took a seat on the sofa, the legs making an uneasy creak that seemed to go unnoticed by the giant of a man. Remus only hoped the couch would hold out as he sat in the armchair closest to the couch. Remus had warned Hagrid that Harry was a little skittish because of his relatives, so Hagrid wouldn’t try to go in for a big hug right away.

“So, this is the birthday boy!” Hagrid’s voice was softer as he looked at the mop of black hair he could see just behind the bookshelf, along with little fingers wrapped tightly around the wood.

“This is the visitor I was telling you about, Harry. His name is Hagrid,” Remus said, smiling softly at Harry. Hagrid waved again, and Harry waved back.

“Hi Hagrid,” he said. His voice was impossibly quiet, but at least he was talking. 

“Hagrid here works at the school your parents and I went to. He knew them as well,” Remus prompted, knowing that this would at least pique Harry’s interest. 

“I did! Lily was the brighest witch in ‘er class. An’ James, he was a smart ‘un too. He just liked Quidditch more.” Harry was beginning to come out from behind the bookshelf, but he still looked a little unsure. Remus noticed that Hagrid seemed to hunch in on himself, looking a little defeated.

“Hey, why don’t you show Hagrid your new animal books? He’s a big fan of animals too.” Hagrid’s whole demeanor seemed to perk up entirely, a new gleam in his eyes.

“That’s righ’ I do! Been reading up on kneazles recently, interestin’ creatures they are.” 

As Hagrid continued to talk about the different animals, Harry came out and sat in the other armchair, just to Remus’ right. He was holding tightly onto his book about jobberknolls still, but he seemed to hang onto Hagrid’s every word. Soon Harry began to contribute to the conversation, talking about all the different creatures he had learned about in the past weeks. Hagrid enjoyed the conversation just as much as Harry did, and Remus just sat back to observe. 

They had gone on for a few hours about different creatures, taking a break for some chocolate cake in the middle. Harry had just about cried when he had his first bite, and Remus wished he had had a camera for that moment. He’d just have to remember to get one later. It was nearing five o’clock, and Harry was yawning deeply. Hagrid stood up from the couch, brushing off the long brown trench coat he wore and made sure there were no crumbs in his wild beard.

“Well Harry, it was nice ter see yeh again! Last I saw, yeh were only a tot.” Harry smiled up at the giant, standing up as well. 

“Nice to meet you sir.” Hagrid patted his pockets one more time, meandering toward the door.

“Wait, I almost forgot!” The giant turned around, digging into one of his pockets. “I’ve got a gift for yeh.” He pulled out a hastily wrapped gift as he approached Harry, handing it to him. Harry carefully ripped into the wrapping. Harry turned to Remus, tears seeming to build in his eyes as he showed Remus what Hagrid had given him. It was a small stuffed dragon, with blue and green patches and lopsided eyes. 

“Thank you Mr. Hagrid sir,” Harry said as he turned back to Hagrid, clutching the animal close to his chest. “It’s my favorite.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Hagrid said as he seemed to wipe a tear away. He cleared his throat, turning to Remus. “Thanks fer invitin’ me.” Remus stood up from his chair, smiling up at Hagrid.

“No, thank you for coming. We both appreciate it.” Harry nodded vigorously as he grabbed Remus’ hand. 

“Right, well I best be off.” Hagrid left the home, Harry and Remus standing just inside the house. Hagrid turned back to wave at the two. “Goodbye!” Harry waved at the giant, calling out goodbyes until he couldn’t see Hagrid anymore. 

Remus closed the door after Hagrid had disappeared around the corner. Harry looked happy. For the first time in a while, Remus felt like a weight was lifting off his shoulders. The little smile Harry offered him as he pulled Remus to his room only added to the good day Remus was having. Remus helped Harry change into some comfortable pajamas before tucking him into bed. He was still holding the dragon Hagrid had given him. Remus went to the small bookshelf by the wall to pick out a new book to read Harry.

“Hey, Mr. Moony?” Remus turned his head to show he was listening. “What should I name him?” 

“I’m not sure, Harry. What do you think a good name would be?” He asked as he sat on the edge of the bed. Harry tapped his chin for a moment.

“I think I’m going to call him Patches, because he’s got little patches on him.” Remus smiled.

“I think that’s an excellent name.” Remus showed the two books he had grabbed to Harry. “Now, which book do you want to read?” 

“Me and Patches want to read that one!” Harry exclaimed, pointing at the left book.

“Alright, but you and Patches have to get settled in if you want to hear the story.”

“Okay!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter didn't go remotely where I wanted it to, but I like how it turned out! There's only one more chapter of child Harry before we start getting to Hogwarts! Thanks for reading you guys!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry makes a friend and learns that magic is real.

“Do I have to go to school?” Harry whined as he followed Remus through the house. “I like being here!” Remus sighed. He had been taking care of Harry for about two months, and Harry was finally beginning to open up to him. He was acting more like a normal child, and hardly jumped when Remus approached him. The school year was getting closer, so Remus had brought up schooling with Harry.

“School is very important,” he responded. “I can’t always be here to help you, and the teachers are much better at helping you than I would be.” Harry grabbed his hand and tugged on it.

“But I don’t want to go!” 

“Most people don’t want to, but if you go you can learn more things. Don’t you want to be able to read your books?” That gave Harry pause. He did want to read the books, but he wasn’t sure it was worth it to go to school and deal with other kids.

Remus could understand Harry’s hesitancy. From what Remus knew, the only interactions Harry had had with other children his age had been bullying. Remus had experienced similar things in his childhood, and could understand not wanting to leave the house. As much as he wanted to homeschool Harry, he knew that he wasn’t quite qualified to teach Harry everything he’d need to know. It didn’t help that the full moon was looming ever closer, only two weeks away, and he didn’t have anywhere for Harry to go safely. Remus pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew that it would get complicated when he took Harry in, but he didn’t expect to be so stressed.

“Tell you what,” Remus said, kneeling down to be level with Harry. “Why don’t we go to the park so we can meet some other kids? There aren’t as many kids at the park as there are at school, so you could meet a few of them and see how nice they are.” 

“They’ll be nice?” Harry tilted his head to the side, eyes showing the uncertainty he felt.

“If they’re not, you don’t have to be friends with them,” Remus said, placing his hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“Aunt Petunia always told me I had to be friends with Dudley’s friends, even though they were mean to me.” A surge of anger rose in Remus’ chest, but he pushed it down quickly.

“You’ll never have to be friends with anyone you don’t like, even if they’re nice.” Harry sat for a moment, staring down at his fingers and mouthing words Remus couldn’t hear. After a moment, he looked back up.

“I wanna go to the park. Can we swing when we get there?” Remus nodded.

“Whatever you’d like.”

The nearest park to Remus’ house was small and rather unknown to the general public. Most people glanced over it, hardly recognizing it as a park. It was small, with a swing set and a small play area for children. There were stone tables around the edge and a field connected to the park surrounded by trees that blocked the sun. There were maybe ten children at the park, since it was around nine o’clock in the morning. Most of them were running around and playing with each other, but Harry noticed that there was a girl sitting on one of the swings. Remembering what Moony had said, Harry decided he’d at least say hi.

As he got nearer, he noticed that the girl was reading a book. It was bigger than any of the books Harry had read, and looked much more complicated too. Her hair was frizzy and wild, though she had somehow managed to keep it all away from her face with a little black headband. Harry had to admit, she seemed a little intimidating. He gripped the book he had brought with him; it was one without moving pictures. Moony had said that those books were special and only for home.

“Can I sit with you?” Harry asked, feeling suddenly very unsure of himself. The girl looked up quickly, her hazel eyes seemingly piercing into him. She looked him up and down, and Harry had the distinct feeling that she was looking for something.

“I suppose that’s alright, though I’m not good company. My mum says I need to stop reading and talk to people, but most people don’t like me,” she replied, turning her eyes back to her book.

“That’s okay, I don’t mind.” Harry felt a little awkward. At least she hadn’t started picking on him for being too small or having glasses or something. “Er, I’m Harry.” 

“I’m Hermione. Nice to meet you Harry,” she said, not once looking up from her book. Harry sat down on the swing next to her, looking at the book he had about dragons. There was an awkward silence. He felt as though he were bothering her, but she hadn’t told him to leave yet.

“What’s that book about?” For the first time since he had walked up to her, she finally put her full attention onto Harry.

“You want to know about my book?” She asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Er, yeah?” Harry hoped that was the right answer. She seemed to be looking at him in a new light, as though something had changed that made him worthy of attention. Her eyes shifted down to look at the book he was holding. Her eyes lit up as she turned her upper body to face him more directly.

“I’m reading Matilda. Have you heard about Matilda?” Harry shook his head. “Well, let me tell you about it then!”

Hermione talked for ages with Harry about Matilda and all the other books she had read. Though Harry didn’t do much talking, he found that being in her presence was enjoyable. She was excited to tell him about all the fun things she had learned from books, and Harry couldn’t help but agree. After she had finished, she asked Harry about his book. Though he felt it wasn’t as interesting, he talked a little bit about the different dragons in his book. Hermione seemed to hang on to every word, and soon they were talking about which dragon they liked best.

“Hermione, who’s this?” A woman approached the two children, who had been talking for at least an hour now. While Harry shrank away slightly, Hermione perked up and turned to face the new woman.

“Mum, this is Harry. He likes books too!” The woman laughed kindly and smiled at her daughter.

“Well that’s wonderful, dear! Might I ask what this friend’s name of yours is?” 

“Oh, this is Harry! Harry, this is my mum.” Harry waved shyly.

“Hello,” he said. It wasn’t very loud, and he was worried that Hermione’s mum hadn’t heard him.

“Hello Harry!” She responded, smiling at him now. “It’s nice to meet you.” A figure approached behind her, and soon Remus was next to Hermione’s mum.

“Harry, it’s about time we go,” Remus said. He had noticed that while Harry was pretty comfortable with the little girl, it looked like he had reached his limit and was getting overwhelmed. 

“Okay,” Harry said slowly as he slid off the swing. “Bye Hermione.”

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Hermione asked, her eyebrows creased. “I liked talking with you.” Hermione’s mother put a hand on her shoulder.

“Well maybe the two of you could hang out sometime?” She said, phrasing the question more toward Remus. Remus looked down at Harry, silently asking if he would be okay with that. Harry nodded quickly, and Remus nodded as well.

“I don’t see why not.” 

“Yes! Then I can show you that book about birds I was telling you about!” Hermione seemed to bounce in place, having stood up from the swing and grabbed her mother’s hand. Harry smiled. The two parents exchanged numbers, hoping to set up a time where they could meet again. With that, Harry and Remus headed home.

“Moony?” Harry asked as they reached the front door.

“Yes Harry?”

“Thank you for taking me to the park.” Remus smiled as he opened the door to let Harry in. 

“We can go whenever you’d like, since you had fun.” Harry bounded into the house, seeming to vibrate with energy. Remus couldn’t help but smile as he thought back to Harry sitting with the little girl, looking perfectly happy and at ease. He could only hope that Harry would continue to grow comfortable with Remus and the world he lived in.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remus couldn’t have been more grateful that Harry had met Hermione at the park. He and Mrs. Granger had arranged a time for the two kids to meet up and play a few days after they went to the park, and Hermione’s parents had both helped him with so much. While Harry and Hermione were upstairs, Mr. and Mrs. Granger walked Remus through some information on what schools were good and where he could get help. They had been shocked to learn that he had only been raising Harry for two months, but graciously helped.

Now Harry was going to be attending school with Hermione, and her parents had agreed to let Harry stay the night every so often. Remus told them that sometimes he had to work overnight and didn’t have anyone to take care of Harry when he did so. They had offered to let Harry stay with them, and thankfully Remus would be able to keep Harry safe from the upcoming full moon. 

Harry was currently waiting quite impatiently for Hagrid to arrive. Remus had invited the half giant over once again, since Harry had enjoyed his company last time. Harry was clutching Patches tightly to his chest and swinging his legs back and forth at the kitchen table. 

“Moony, when’s Hagrid going to get here?” Remus shrugged, flipping the newspaper he had been reading up.

“He said he’d be here at noon,” he replied. Harry threw his head back, groaning dramatically.

“But it’s past noon!”

“Only by five minutes, Harry.” Harry humphed and crossed his arms tightly by his stomach. Just as Harry was about to complain some more, a knock sounded at the door.

“Hagrid!” Harry called, rushing to open the door. He had to stand on his tip toes to reach the door knob, but eventually managed to pull the front door open.

“Hello Harry!” Hagrid picked up Harry and pulled him into a big hug, with Harry giggling all the while. After Harry had been placed down, he ran back to the kitchen where Remus was waiting. Hagrid trailed behind. 

“Hello Hagrid, how are you today?” Remus asked as he stood up to greet his old friend.

“Oh, I’m alright. How about you? This little bugger giving yeh any trouble?” Hagrid ruffled Harry’s hair. Harry batted Hagrid’s hand away playfully.

“Oh, not Harry!” The two men smiled as they heard Harry giggling.

“Not even any accidental magic? I’d think he’d be turning the whole house purple with those genes of his!” 

“That’s funny, Hagrid! I can’t do magic!” Harry said as he tugged on Hagrid’s hand.

“What do you mean, you can’t?” Hagrid asked.

“Becaaaause silly, magic isn’t real!” Hagrid and Remus stared at him. Harry began to shift a little as he noticed the looks on the two adults’ faces. He let go of Hagrid’s hand and wrapped his arms around himself, looking to Remus for some sort of confirmation that Harry hadn’t done anything wrong.

“What do you mean, Harry?” Remus asked.

“Well, magic isn’t real. It’s just stuff in those fun books that Hermione reads. Just make believe.” Harry muttered, not meeting his eyes.

“Well that’s poppycock!” Hagrid shouted. Harry shrank back a bit and Remus gave Hagrid a look. Hagrid mumbled a soft apology under his breath before allowing Remus to take the lead.

“Who told you that?” Remus knew that Harry had never lived with anyone who didn’t know about the Wizarding world, so he should have at least heard of it, right?

“Aunt Petunia said so. She used to get real mad when anyone would talk about it too.” Remus spat an insult at the Dursleys under his breath.

“Well Harry, she’s very wrong. Did you know I’m a wizard?” Harry only looked more confused.

“You are?” Remus nodded.

“I am. I use magic all the time, haven’t you seen it?” When Harry shook his head, Remus decided to try and list off some things he had done around Harry. “I always make tea with magic. I also made your birthday cake with magic. Oh, and remember how sometimes I’ll make your bed with magic?” Harry gasped.

“That’s magic?” Remus nodded again. “I just thought that everyone could do that!” Hagrid let out a laugh.

“No, only wizards can do tha’. Most people round here are Muggles,” Hagrid said proudly.

“Muggles are people who can’t use magic,” Remus said at the confused look on his face. 

“So were my parents wizards too?” Harry asked, looking in wonder up at Remus. He seemed to hang onto every word.

“Yes, they were wizards. Your mother was the best witch I’d ever met, and your father was a talented wizard as well.” Remus responded. Harry took a moment to think, tapping his chin.

“If my parents were wizards, then why did they die in a car crash?”

If Harry had thought the silence before had been bad, nothing could compare to the intense, dark silence that overtook the space this time. Remus looked as though he had been slapped, and Hagrid seemed to radiate confusion and anger?

“What do you mean, car crash?” Hagrid asked, his voice low. Harry was shaking now, scared he had said the wrong thing and that the two of them were very angry with him.

“Well, my Aunt Petunia always said that my parents were good for nothing drunks who liked to party. She said that they got into a big accident and I was lucky to survive.” Hagrid seemed to explode then.

“A car crash?! A CAR CRASH! Lily and James Potter dying in a car crash?! They were honorable people who were never drunks!” Hagrid yelled, his arms flailing around. Harry flinched back and grabbed the leg of the table, tears in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. That broke Remus out of his state of shock. Elbowing Hagrid quickly, he wrapped Harry into a giant hug.

“Oh no Harry, this isn’t your fault. I’m glad you told us,” Remus said, rubbing Harry’s back as he felt the boy begin to sniffle. “We’re just upset that your Aunt Petunia lied.”

“I’m sorry Harry, didn’t mean to scare yeh,” Hagrid said as well, looking thoroughly put out. Harry peeked out from where he had buried his head in Remus’ shoulder and gave Hagrid a wet, lopsided smile. He tapped Remus to let him know he was done with the hug.

“If… if my parents didn’t die in a car crash, then how did they die?” Remus closed his eyes tightly. How could he explain to Harry what had happened? How do you even start? Remus picked Harry up and sat him down in a kitchen chair.

“Harry, this is going to be a long story, and it’s not a very happy one,” Remus warned as he moved to take a seat across from Harry. Harry nodded quickly. 

“That’s okay, I’ve heard lots of bad stories,” Harry responded. Remus took in a deep breath.

“Okay. How about we start with how your parents met…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this was a tough chapter to write! I wanted to introduce Hermione a bit earlier so that their friendship could really be cemented. Harry's going to view her like a sister, and I wanted them to have even more of a relationship behind that! 
> 
> Writing the scene about magic was a little tough, I'll be honest. I was going to write the whole conversation where Harry learns what happens to his parents, but I didn't think it was really all that necessary at this point in time. Harry will bring it up later on when he goes to Hogwarts anyways.
> 
> This is my project for NaNoWriMo, so hopefully I'll get the first book out of the way by the end of the month! I'm going to be expanding on plot points and adding more character interactions so there's more depth in the relationships, but it should still happen mostly the same.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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